The subject matter disclosed herein relates to air systems, more particularly, to systems and methods for controlling air separation units (ASUs), and more specifically, to ASUs found in gasification plants and facilities.
ASUs may be used in facilities, such as refineries, petrochemical plants, or power stations, to separate atmospheric air into its primary components, such as oxygen and nitrogen. Some of these facilities may include partial oxidation systems that partially oxidize a fuel with the oxygen provided by the ASUs to create heat and/or energy. For example, an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant includes one or more gasifiers that react a feedstock at a high temperature with the oxygen from one or more ASUs to produce a syngas, which may in turn be used as a fuel in a gas turbine to create energy that generates power. ASUs are typically expensive and contribute to a significant portion of the total cost of the IGCC. In addition, the air separation process performed by the ASUs consumes large quantities of energy, thereby decreasing the efficiency of the gasification process.